Environmental Responsibility

We believe true innovation must consider everything.

We take our passion for innovation beyond our products and into our practices. As part of our continuing mission to leave the world better than we found it, we’re partnering with The Conservation Fund to protect and create the type of forests we use in our packaging. We’ve developed a renewable micro-hydro project to power our data centre in Prineville, Oregon. And we’re building a solar farm in China to offset energy used by our offices and retail stores. Because it’s our responsibility to make sure that while creating beautiful products, we’re also caring for our beautiful planet.

Climate Change

We don’t want to debate climate change. We want to stop it.

We understand that making as many products as we do has a significant impact on the environment. Our carbon footprint is something we’re always aware of, and it’s something we’re always working to address. We’ve found ways to use energy and materials more efficiently in our facilities, to get energy from cleaner sources and to design some of the world’s most energy-efficient electronic products. In fact, all our product lines don’t just adhere to ENERGY STAR standards, they surpass them. And while we have a long way to go, our efforts are working. Even though we’re manufacturing and shipping more products than ever, our carbon emissions per product have been dropping since 2011.Learn more

0%

of our US operations run on renewable energy.

0%

of our data centres run on renewable energy.

0%

of our global operations run on renewable energy.

Our solar farm in Hongyuan, China, will generate more renewable energy than is used by all our corporate facilities and retail stores in China.

Renewable Resources

Innovation means working with what’s here to create something new.

Our planet provides tremendous resources that make it possible for us to produce our packaging and power our facilities. But trees, sunlight and wind aren’t just valuable, they’re sustainable. To help ensure that future generations have access to even more forest than we do, we’re partnering with The Conservation Fund to create and protect the types of sustainably managed forests that produce virgin fibre for paper and packaging. We’re powering all our US data centres with 100 per cent renewable energy — including our new micro-hydro project that helps power our data centre in Prineville, Oregon — and we’re continuing to make major advances toward powering all our corporate facilities and retail stores the same way. Learn more

Solar

Geothermal

Fuel Cell

Wind

Micro-hydro

Our micro-hydro project uses the natural drops in elevation along the Deschutes River to help power our data centre in Prineville, Oregon.

Finite Resources

Not everything can be replaced. So we reuse and recycle.

We consider our environmental impact during the earliest stages of design — finding ways to create products that use fewer materials and last longer. The planet has a limited supply of clean water, so we make sure that our manufacturing processes reuse as much of it, as many times, as possible. When we work with suppliers that don’t meet our standards for water reuse, we help them improve until they do. And we make it easy and safe to recycle Apple products. Learn more

2014

61%

2013

12%

After enrolling in our Clean Water Program, our supplier Dongguan Meadville Circuits was able to reuse over five times as much wastewater.

Wastewater at our supplier facility in Dongguan, China, is treated and tested for reuse under the guidance of our Clean Water Program.

Toxins

We leave some important things out of our products. With good reason.

Many substances commonly used in the electronics industry can be harmful to people or the planet. So we design our products with cleaner, safer materials to reduce and eliminate these toxins. And we hold our suppliers accountable — we conduct factory audits, test components with independent laboratories and verify the results in our own lab. It’s our mission to make sure anyone who assembles, uses and recycles an Apple product can do so safely. Learn more

Beryllium

Mercury

Lead

Arsenic

Polyvinyl chloride

Brominated flame retardants

Phthalates

Today’s Mac Pro is made of highly recyclable materials and is free of BFRs and PVC, making it safer for the environment.

Our Progress

We’ve taken significant steps. With many more to come.

For decades, we’ve been working to minimise the impact our company and our products have on the environment. It’s an ongoing effort, and we want to keep you posted on what we’re doing. In 2014, we converted 100 per cent of our US operations to renewable energy, invested in the future of sustainable working forests, and designed several of our products to be beryllium‑free. Learn more